India on Thursday unveiled its first Defence Production Policy. The policy focuses on building a robust industrial base for achieving self-relience in meeting the armed forces' needs. It also envisages more preference to indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. Releasing the Defence Production Policy and Defence Procurement Procedure 2011 in New Delhi this evening, the Defence Minister Mr. A.K. Antony said it is the prime policy of the government to reduce substantial dependence on foreign supply.AIR correspondent reports, the policy will hold good for long-term needs such as equipment required over 10 years into the future.At present, 70 per cent of the armament requirements of the armed forces is met through imports. This scenario is bound to change once the DPP is implemented in full. The changes in the policy aim at simplification of procedures, speeding up of procurement and enhanced benefits to the defence industry. Accordingly, the government will buy arms from foreign sources for the army, navy and air force only in case of critical technologies in which indigenous industries do not have capabilities and in cases where they cannot meet delivery timelines. Keeping in view the strategic importance of the ship building sector, seminal policy changes have been incorporated. It also provides a level-playing field to the DPSUs, shipyards and private sector, as well as promote indigenization. The policy now includes sectors such as civil aviation and internal security for foreign vendors to discharge their liabilities under the offsets clause. This had been a long-standing demand of the vendors, who felt the clause was restrictive.Emphasizing the need for modernisation and defence preparedness, Mr. Antony said that the security situation of the country is very volatile. He, however, maintained that the armed forces are prepared for any kind of security threat. In reply to a query on land mismanagement in the army, the Minister said that the entire land records of the armed forces is being computerised. The process of giving No Objection Certificate is also being changed. Mr. Antony said, to plug any loophole, the system is being streamlined.